"It was like burning hot pain, like someone shoving a bunch of little burning hot needles in you, just constantly, just nonstop," said David Alvarez, describing what he remembers of the evening he and his son accidentally walked through a yellow jacket nest.

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Alvarez went into shock, his lungs collapsed, kidneys stopped working and a blood clot formed in his arm.

His 7-year-old son was also hospitalized after they upset hundreds of yellow jackets burrowed beside the Little Wekiva River.

"We didn't see any 'No trespassing' signs. It was just an innocent walk," he said.

An innocent walk to find a new fishing spot that may have ended differently if it wasn't for Jim Kunze, a beekeeper who happened to live nearby, heard their screams and came out to help.

Local 6 was there when the father and son thanked their hero for the first time.

"All prayers were answered," said Kunze.

Alvarez still has a long way to go.

He's very weak, and he has trouble breathing, but he says the experience has made him appreciate the little things.

"It changes your look on life for sure -- it makes you want to live more than you did before," he said.

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